'The importance of being honest': Switzerland, neutrality and the problems of intelligence collection and liaison

Citation

Wylie N (2006) 'The importance of being honest': Switzerland, neutrality and the problems of intelligence collection and liaison. Intelligence and National Security, 21 (5), pp. 782-808. https://doi.org/10.1080/02684520600957720

Abstract
This paper seeks to contribute to a number of debates that have attracted scholarly attention over the last few years. Firstly, by examining the experiences of the Swiss foreign intelligence service, the paper takes issue with what one scholar has dubbed 'intelligence history snobbery'; a process that has privileged the study of the major powers and overlooked the contribution made to the secret world by the intelligence agencies of small states. Secondly, the paper explores the extent to which a state's engagement in the secret world is affected by its preconceived ideas over its place and standing in the international community. It asks whether the behaviour of a neutral foreign intelligence service is likely to differ from that of any other 'small' state, and whether neutrals can be both honest brokers in international affairs, and earnest players in the field of secret intelligence. The final section of the paper looks at the impact of the end of the Cold War and the emerging 'global war on terror' on the shape of the Swiss intelligence community.

Journal
Intelligence and National Security: Volume 21, Issue 5

People

Professor Neville Wylie

Deputy Principal